Why rattlesnake bites are on the rise in California

NPR | By Henry Larson,

Tinbete Ermyas, Mia Venkat, Fiona Geiran

Published April 27, 2026 at 4:27 PM EDT

California sees maybe one fatal rattlesnake bite a year. So far this year, there've been three.

Henry Larson

Tinbete Ermyas

Mia Venkat

Fiona Geiran